Too Late for Christmas, But
by Estel Baggins
Summary: Richie gets a Christmas gift that he doesn’t want… and a late gift to make up for it.


Title: Too Late for Christmas, But…

Author: Estel Baggins

Rating: PG-13, mostly for swearing

Warning: slash, fluff

Genre: Romance

Summary: Richie gets a Christmas gift that he doesn't want… and a late gift to make up for it.

------------------------------Too Late for Christmas------------------------------

December 25

Richie closed his eyes and pulled his headphones over his ears. Nickelback sang "Photograph", which had become his theme song over the last several months. Sure, he wasn't thinking about memories of losing someone- he had no one to lose- but memories distracted him, that was for sure.

Someone knocked on his bedroom door and he sat up, pulling off the headphones. "Yeah, Mom?" It had to be her; Dad was working late.

"Wow, mistaken for your Moms. That's not such a great compliment, Rich."

Richie grinned. Maybe there was something to that 'wish for it hard enough and it will walk right in your door.' Huh. Couldn't be that easy, or Virgil would have been in his bed months ago. "Sorry, V." Virgil was wearing only a muscle shirt, which was insane, considering the weather. The shirt was the same color as his Static coat. Maybe a gift from Shebang? Or Daisy, who seemed to know all about Virgil, all the time. She seemed to have an instant way into his heart that Richie lacked sometimes.

Virg was just standing there, like he was waiting for Richie to say something, so he said, "I thought you were out with your Pops and sister for a few more days. Weren't you taking a Christmas cruise?"

"Me? Surrounded by all that water?" Virgil looked disappointed. Or maybe depressed, like he'd been thinking about his Moms again, and not in the good-memories way.

So Richie stood, went to him, and laid a hand on his shoulder. When he'd realized he had a crush on Virgil almost seven months back, these simple touches had fired his blood. Now that he'd come out to V and been told 'that's great, Rich, I hope you find somebody amazing. And, uh, you know I'm not gay, right?' the touches were difficult. He might accidentally read too much into them. He might accidentally let his continued attraction show.

Richie yanked himself back to the present. "Are you okay?"

Virgil laughed. "Dang, Rich, I say, what? Less than twenty words. And you know something's up?" He shook his head and threw his arm around Richie's shoulder, steering him further into the bedroom. He used his powers to shut the door behind him. "You'd think I'd be used to you being a super-genius by now."

Supremely glad that he wore loose khakis, Richie allowed Virgil to keep his arm there. "Yeah, well, it doesn't usually apply to interpersonal relations. Unless I'm talking to you." Did that sound too sexual? 'Oh, relax,' he thought. 'You get wound up, he'll notice that much sooner.' "So, what's up?"

"I was kinda thinking about, you know, what happened. With Hotstreak last week?"

Oh, shit. This was all he needed. Virgil's jealousy was legendary. 'It's probably a good thing he doesn't love me. Imagine how bad that would be.' Yeah, Virgil checking up on him, holding his hand when they went out, or simply touching the small of his back to let the world know he was staking out his claim, Virgil soul-kissing him on the subway if some guy happened to look at him too long… Yeah, that would be terrible.

Well, at least Virg wasn't thinking about his moms. "What about Hotstreak?" He inhaled, thinking to add more to the question, but Virgil's scent invaded his senses and temporarily scrambled his brains.

"…looking at you," Virgil was saying when he came back to himself. "Not like he usually does, either, but like he used to look at Frieda. You know, back before the Big Bang when he was just the bully?"

Richie laughed and pulled out from under Virgil's arm so he could meet the other teen's eyes. "V, think about what you're saying. Hotstreak's straight."

"Actually, didn't Dr. Todd say something about how the Big Bang swung many teens' hormones from straight to gay so that the meta-human changes couldn't be carried to a new generation?"

Yes, he had. And Richie and Virgil had argued about it the day Richie came out to Virgil. But Virgil looked genuinely worried, so Richie worked hard to throttle down his rage. "Yeah, he did, and I proved him wrong. Remember? Hotstreak's straight, Kangor's straight, Ebon's straight-"

Virgil crossed his arms and his eyes literally crackled with some negative emotion that could have been jealousy or anger or just about anything else. Sometimes, Richie felt like he didn't really know Virgil. "I don't know about him, Rich. He's looked at you, too. I mean, that second time he grabbed you? He was holding you like-"

Richie felt his control slipping. He tightened his hold. "Don't start this again. Not about Hotstreak, and definitely not about Ebon. Neither of them is gay, first of all, and second, rape- which is what you're talking about, at least with Ebon- isn't about sexual orientation or even desire: it's about power." He took a breath, giving Virgil a moment to react, if that's what he wanted to do.

When Virgil kept silent, Richie calmed himself a little more. "Dr. Todd was looking for a way to calm the media scare. People were terrified we'd start multiplying. So Dr. Todd pulled up some fake research and spread it as quickly as possible. You were there when I punched a hole in his 'research.' Sure, the media and most other civilians don't know it's a myth, but you know, Virg, so-"

"Yeah, but it doesn't explain…" Virgil deflated suddenly, falling into Richie's desk chair. The raw power had gone out of his gaze and he slumped, hands dangling between his knees. "If it's not like Dr. Todd says, then I don't get what's happening to me."

Oh. My. God. This wasn't about jealousy, about Richie, about Hotstreak, about the touches of homophobia Richie had seen in Virgil's behavior from time to time. This was about Virgil.

Richie sat on the side of his bed. "Talk to me. Please. What happened?"

Virgil stared down at his hands. But then he shrugged out of his backpack, dug into the middle pocket, the one he kept locked with his powers, the place where he stored his costume, and handed Richie several folded pages.

Not pages, Richie realized as he smoothed them out on his leg. Pamphlets. _Coming Out _said one. _Homosexuality: Myth and Truth_ said another. Smiling teenagers, some holding hands in couples, gazed up at Richie. He opened the first pamphlet and saw this heading: _Choosing Who To Tell._

"You showed me these, remember?" Virgil asked.

Richie looked up, meeting his gaze. "Yeah. These were the ones at the Freeman Community Center." Where Virgil's father worked. Richie had actually come out to the older Hawkins first. Had Virgil kept these? Richie flipped over the second one and saw, written in his own hand: _I'm not trying to convert you, V. I just wanted you to know. _He tried hard to remember the gentle questions Mr. H had asked. "How long have you wondered?"

"If I'm gay?" Virgil laughed. "Too damn long. Way longer than you." He stopped. "Well, maybe not. Just for years before you came out." He met Richie's gaze. "How long did you wonder before you came out to me?"

"I'm the impatient type," Richie said, and smiled. Virgil. Was. Gay?! He breathed, calming himself again, all his anger forgotten. Even if Virgil was gay, Richie would ruin any chance they had by jumping him. "I didn't figure it out until May." He'd come out to Virg in June.

"Only May? Why'd it take you so long to figure it out?"

He didn't point out that he could have asked Virgil the same question. "Well, when I was twelve… Do you remember James Smythe-Rogers?"

Virgil blinked, sat up straight. "Yeah. He was, like, five-nine back then, right?"

Richie laughed. "Yeah, something like that. He was-" Richie shrugged, determined to make this story short- "gorgeous. I had a crush on him. I didn't know it was a crush at the time, but I said something to him- I don't even remember what- and he told his parents. They told my father and he beat the hell out of me. So, liking guys meant pain. I stopped watching guys."

"You told me your cousins had beat you up," Virgil said and that electricity was back in his eyes, in every line of his body.

"I didn't want you hating my father. I was so afraid that your hatred of one white man would be like his hatred of all black people. Give me a break: I was twelve." His voice was rising; he throttled it down. But, damn it, Virgil was staring at him like Richie had betrayed him.

"So…" Virgil looked away. "How do I know if I'm gay?"

"What made you think you're gay in the first place? You've always been after girls, first Frieda, and then Daisy."

Virgil now stared up at the ceiling. He raised one hand, pulled a pen from Richie's desk drawer with his powers, and flew it around the room. His gaze was glued to it. "I get so scared when you get hurt."

No shit. But that didn't mean- "Virg, that's-"

"When I see guys hitting on you, I get majorly jealous," Virgil told the zooming pen. "Not when girls hit on you, but-"

Richie had to laugh. Either that or he was going to do something really stereotypically fairy-like and cry. Virgil wasn't gay; it was too good to be true. Virgil was just confused. Mr. H had told him many young people went through a time of questioning their sexual orientation. Apparently, Richie was being subjected to Virgil's sojourn through that land. He struggled to keep his voice light. "V, what girl's actually ever hit on me? And the only guys who-"

"You don't notice all the girls who think you're cute, especially since you started wearing those thin-framed glasses and that blue pullover that brings out your eyes."

Richie gaped at him. "You're paying attention to what I wear? Virg, contrary to popular belief, that doesn't make you gay. It just-"

"I'm just repeating what Frieda told me. She's one of the ones who's been watching you. Honestly, I think the only reason she hasn't approached you is because you're never alone. I mean, it's not like you've come out to anyone at school." He dropped the pen, right in the middle of the floor, and turned his full attention on Richie. "Not that I blame you. When we're not in costume, we're great targets as it is. Telling everyone you're gay would be inviting trouble."

"You aren't a target anymore." Richie heard the bitterness in his voice and tried to smile past it. "You've climbed the social ladder, bro, and the only thing keeping you from being neck-and-neck with the quarterback is your friendship with me." Suddenly, he was exhausted. "Look. Virg. I really don't want to talk about anyone but you. You came here to ask me if you're gay? You're not. What you feel for me is a need to protect. That's it." Virgil was staring at him, so Richie leaned forward and poked him in the middle of his chest. "You're straight. End of discussion."

He couldn't imagine a worse Christmas present: having his long-repressed hopes first fed, then starved to death. "I need to get some work done, okay?" He stood, went to the door. Opened it. " Go back on your cruise before you're missed. I'll see you when you get back."

* * *

December 25, Later

Virgil stared out at the still waters of Lake Dakota. It wasn't a cruise, strictly speaking: they weren't going anywhere. But his father had won tickets onto this boat for three days; not being there would be an insult to the charity who was running this show. Sharon had bought Adam a ticket as a Christmas present. If Virgil had managed to save a hundred and eighty bucks, maybe he would have done the same for Richie. Maybe then Richie wouldn't have been able to just kick him out. Granted, Richie hadn't forced him to leave, but he'd done everything but beg Virgil to go.

"Sucky Christmas," Virgil muttered, his eyes on the distant horizon. He could see some of Dakota's tallest buildings glittering in the distance, blurring the starlight to invisibility. It was all too easy to pretend he could see Richie's house from here, its own lights on as Richie paced and fumed and felt whatever he was feeling that told him to kick Virgil out.

Someone was walking towards him; years of fighting crime had heightened his senses to the point where he couldn't truly fall back into the careless daydreamer he'd once been. But since he didn't want anyone to know how perceptive he'd become, Virgil simply waited for the person to either go away or speak.

"Do you want to talk about it, Son?"

Virgil glanced over his shoulder and met his Pops's eyes. "Maybe. I just.." He sighed. His father knew he was Static; he didn't have to hide anything. So he gestured his Pops closer and when he was sure no one would overhear them, he said, "I flew off a few hours ago to see Richie. I wanted…" He looked out across the water again, found himself looking for Gear flying over the water to him and stared down at the railing between his hands. "I have a problem."

"What sort of problem?" His pops moved closer and his voice was gentle.

"Richie's gay." Virgil groaned. "And I don't have a problem with that. You know I don't. It's just…" Was he ready to come out to his pops? Not when he wasn't sure if he was gay or not. Hadn't he heard from someone that it was easier for guys to know if they were gay than it was for girls? He doubted that now. Richie had seemed completely sure of himself when he'd come out; maybe that meant Virgil wasn't gay. But if he wasn't gay-

"You're eating yourself alive," his pops said. "If you talk about it, I might be able to help."

Virgil rubbed the back of his head and wished for something to happen. For Richie to call him and say that a new Bang Baby had appeared. For Batman to appear and call him to the Watchtower. For his mind to straighten itself out. But none of that happened, so he bowed his head and said, "I can't figure out if I'm gay or if it's just some kind of stupid need to protect Richie that makes me want to be near him. He says I'm straight, and aren't gay guys supposed to know better than anyone?"

"That's a myth," his pops said in the reasonable, soothing voice Virgil had heard him use with so many troubled teens. He'd used it on Virgil more than once. "Let's not talk about what Richie thinks. Your emotions and beliefs are what's important right now. You can't hope to understand another person until you understand yourself."

His gaze had drifted back to the horizon. He shook his head and closed his eyes. Richie's angry gaze followed him. "I can't just forget him. He was angry with me. Maybe he thought I was pretending to be gay, or messing with him, or, Pops, I don't know what he thought." He met the older man's gaze in an attempt to block the memory of Richie's expression and voice. "I don't know what I want, but if I am gay, there's only one person I'd ever want to be with. Except for you and Sharon, he's basically all I've ever needed to be happy." He tried to smile past his pain. "Just don't tell Sharon she's that important to me, okay?" Right now, he didn't care if she knew, but putting a trace of his usual banter in could only help keep him calm.

"How often do you talk to Richie? About non-Static and Gear things, now."

Virgil blinked. "What?"

"Emotions are slippery," his pops said, and he was smiling. "Let's go at this from a logical angle first. It can't hurt." He squeezed Virgil's shoulder, just the way Richie did so often. "

Virgil tried to separate their conversations about superhero stuff from everything else they talked about. "We talk all the time," he said. "In the halls, we're pretty much all we've got. I mean, Frieda and Daisy talk to us, but not as often as we, you know, seek each other out. We walk to and from school every day and usually we don't talk about Static and Gear stuff, both because we might be overheard but more because... we have other stuff to talk about. Richie talks about his college classes-" they were seniors, but Richie was taking college classes on top of his Dakota Union High schedule- "or how things are going at home." He wouldn't bring up the crap Richie was taking from his parents about being gay; his pops already knew about it. "I talk about stuff I'm doing- usually about some girl I'm looking at; I've been doing that a lot, especially since Richie came out, I guess-" and wasn't that a shocking realization? Sometimes, he didn't know what was going on in his head until it came out of his mouth- "and we just talk about school stuff, you know? The rumors, who would've made a scary Bang Baby if they'd been down at the docks that night. And normal stuff," he rushed on, "like music and sports and all that."

"How much time do you spend with him outside of school? Not including your patrols."

Virgil laughed; he was feeling a little lightheaded. But that was okay, because at least he couldn't see Richie glaring at him anymore."Pops, you know Richie camps out at our house most of the time, right?"

That won him a smile. "It was just a question. Here's another: how much time do you spend thinking about him?"

Virgil's Shock Vox vibrated in his pocket. He jumped and his hand dropped to it. Bringing it out, cupping it so a casual observer wouldn't be able to see it, he brought it close to his mouth and activated it. "What's up?" Maybe Richie was calling him to talk.

"Let's talk, Babe. I've got your partner. You want him back, you come to me."

"Replay?" It had been years since that particular Bang Baby, a has-been actor with dreams of grandeur, had caused problems. He'd gone first to jail, then to a psychological facility down south. "Where are you?"

He was already halfway across the deck, looking for a place to change. He'd used his stateroom earlier, but he knew Sharon and Adam were there, and he just wasn't ready to tell her who he was yet. He probably never would be.

A soft chuckle. "Trace me. I know you can."

The last time Virgil had traced a Vox signal, he'd ended up in a trap. "Prove you have Gear." He glanced up when he sensed someone too close and saw that his pos had followed him. That his pops had heard him. He mouthed, "it's okay."

"Say your codename," Replay said faintly. He must be holding the Shock Vox away from his mouth.

Silence.

Still, Virgil had found a closet. He glanced at his pops and motioned for him to stand guard. His pops nodded and Virgil opened the closet door. When he was inside, he shrugged out of his backpack, set the Shock Vox on a shelf, and began his quick-change act.

"Don't be that way," Replay said. "Your partner doesn't want me to hurt you, I'll bet."

Still silence.

Virgil was out of his jeans and yanking that muscle shirt- had he worn it just in case he was gay and Richie had wanted to jump him?- when there was a crash from the other end of the Vox connection.

"Talk," Replay said, sounding less amused. Another crash.

More than halfway dressed, Virgil gritted his teeth. His stomach tightened. Was Replay hurting his Richie or was he just throwing things around in an attempt to frighten Static?

Another crash and a muffled pop, like a mechanical device sparking. Was it Backpack? If it was Backpack, that had to mean Richie was hurt badly because he would never let the little robot get hurt if he could help it. Virgil yanked on his mask, scooped up the Vox, stuffed his street clothes in his backpack, and threw the door open. His pops was still standing there, across the hall, pretending to be reading the ship's map that was posted there. He even jumped realistically as Static rushed past him, dropping the backpack at his feet.

He was off the ship and following the Vox's signal ten seconds later. And Replay was still trying to get Gear to talk.

Virgil's hands shook and he wanted so badly to reach through the Vox and strangle Replay that he was lightheaded again. 'Richie, please don't be there.' But if Replay had his Vox, what were the chances he hadn't caught Gear and was holding him? And what about that mechanical-failure sound? The more he thought about it, the more it sounded like Backpack.

"Fine," Replay said. "Throwing you around doesn't work? Boys, hold him."

And finally, as Virgil flew over the docks, Gear- his precious Richie- screamed. He knew that scream; he'd heard it on Alva's island. He'd heard it when Sinestro, impersonating Green Lantern, hit Richie. He had nightmares about that scream.

"Static, Replay's not alone. Replikon, Kangor, Sh-" Gear screamed again.

He could feel the nearest of Richie's Vox with his powers; he put on another burst of speed even as he tried to keep calm. His hands were shaking and he wanted nothing more than to rip all those bastards to pieces, but if he went in without a plan, he wouldn't save Richie.

'Gear,' he thought. 'If I think of him as Richie, I'm screwed.'

There was a sudden silence on the Vox, and then Replay said, "Is that enough proof, Babe? We had to cut him to make him scream like that. Do you want to hear more?"

He was in the right neighborhood now. He dropped down behind a dumpster and looked for sentries. He was glad Talon had become Teresa again; he was safer for that. Even as he surveyed the nearby area, he switched his Vox over to the frequency of Adam's cell phone.

"Static?"

"RB, I'm at the abandoned community center at the corner of Bailey Street and James Avenue. Replay and a bunch of other Bang Babies have captured Gear. I need you here. Now." He'd been looking everywhere while he whispered, and he'd seen Boom- the kid whose chest had been turned into a loudspeaker- and Kangor patrolling. He looked again, seeking Replikon, who could change into so many things, but didn't see him.

Rubberband Man closed the connection.

His Vox came to life again. "Where are you, Babe? You don't want Shiv to get impatient, do you? Oops, too late-"

His Richie screamed again and Virgil almost crushed the Vox in his rage and terror.

"By the way," Replay said as Gear fell silent again, "I found this faggot book in your partner's pocket. If he really wants some, I bet we could give it to him." His voice hardened again. "Unless you want to hear him scream for a new reason, you'd better get here in the next five minutes."

Replay didn't know where he was. "My father took me on a cruise. I'm out on Dakota Lake. I can't change out here. Give me ten minutes to get there."

"What do I get in return?"

Virgil tried to see something that moved in the shadows off to his right. Was that Replikon? No, just a cat. Replikon could only turn into animals with purple fur. He could look like any human being, but he couldn't do that with animals or anything imaginary, like dragons, or inanimate objects, like statues. "What do you want?"

Replay laughed as, in the background, Gear hissed in pain. "Your partner's getting resistant to cutting. Maybe we'll have to try something else. As for what I want? Babe, for now I'll settle for some people hating you."

"I'll rob a bank if you want, make sure lots of people see me, and bring you the money. Give me an extra five minutes- that means fifteen minutes from now- and I'll do it. Okay?" If he could just buy Adam enough time to get here…

"You have ten minutes." Replay had moved his mouth away from the Vox, but not so far Virgil missed him giving the next order: "Strip him. Let's see how he handles a little personal contact." The connection went dead.

Virgil swore. He couldn't wait for Adam.

* * *

December 25, A Few Minutes Before Midnight

Replay's clones didn't come near him. They just grinned at each other. Shiv was flipping through the _Coming Out _pamphlet Richie had taken in his pocket. The real Replay was talking to Replikon about impersonating Gear so Static would be off his guard.

Richie glanced at Backpack. Replikon had ripped the robot off his back and tossed him in a corner. Backpack's red eye was dim, but he was still online, sending Richie readings. Virgil was close, though not moving in yet. Maybe he was doing the right thing and waiting for back-up. But knowing V, that patience wouldn't last long. What Richie needed to do was eliminate the greatest threat- Replikon, whom Virg had never actually defeated without help- and do it before Virgil lost his battle with his patience.

Backpack didn't have anything that could defeat Replikon in his arsenal. Richie had a knock-out gas-loaded Zap Cap, but with his hands tied over his head, he couldn't get to it. Backpack would have to come to him, free him, and then he'd be able to throw the Zap Cap. That would take too much time. What he needed was a distraction. And while Virg would be a great one when he showed up, that would be too late.

All right, he was a super genius, right? Time to think outside the box. Or at least think inside the box his captors had built. He turned his gaze on Shiv. "Are you…?"

Shiv stared at him, coloring. "Yeah. So what?" He stalked closer to Richie, drawing the attention of the rest of the Bang Babies, including all of Replay's clones. "You want to make something of it?"

"Static and I were trying to figure out who might be gay," he said, putting Gear's expressionless delivery to work even as he called Backpack to find a way over to him that was partially or completely concealed. Backpack could think outside the box, too. "We thought we could use that similarity- you know, between me and those Bang Babies- to reach them." He smiled at Shiv. "We didn't think you were, so you're really good at hiding it. Congrats, man. It's really hard to be gay, but it's got to be even harder in the Meta Breed."

Backpack informed him that Virgil was on his way. Richie ordered the robot to intercept him if possible, and to call Rubberband Man. Why hadn't he thought of that before?

"We're pretty sure Ebon is gay," Richie went on, and that earned a snort from Replikon and a high-pitched, doubled-over peel of laughter from Shiv. "And Hotstreak's either really good at playing straight or he really is. But Boom? Kangor? So gay." He grinned. "I mean, come on: we gay guys can just tell." He turned his eyes on Replikon as Backpack informed him that he'd intercepted Virgil and was giving him a readout. "We're not quite sure about you, big boy," he said. "I mean, if you can change into so many things, can you change your sexual orientation, too?" He glanced at Replay. "I just hope you're not gay." He hit on a myth hard: "You wouldn't be able to keep your hands off yourselves." He waggled his eyebrows at all the clones.

Replay stormed towards him, his clones fading from sight. Maybe he didn't want anyone thinking that he played with himself. Replikon, too, was coming closer. He was laughing at Richie, but shooting glances at Replay.

"You really have a death wish, don't you?" Replikon demanded. He was close to Richie.

'If my hands were just free-'

Backpack was inside again. He was near Richie; Virgil was there, too, though not quite so close. And Rubberband Man was less than a minute away.

"Yeah, well," Richie told Replikon, "death wishes are all you get when the man of your dreams doesn't want you." His voice cracked realistically and the reason he'd gone out on patrol alone came rushing back. The moment Virgil had been gone, Richie had been forced to face the truth again. A truth that had seemed even more terrible in light of his hopes being crushed. Virgil would never want him, and no other man could ever measure up.

"Aw, poor baby," Replay muttered. He cupped Richie's crotch. Tried to crush his balls. Was stopped by the protection Richie wore there- not for such an eventuality, but because he'd crashed a lot when he was first learning how to fly and had never removed the padding- and drew back, grimacing.

Rubberband Man dropped out of the ceiling and enveloped Replikon. Virgil yanked Replay up into the air and stuck him to the wall. That wouldn't stop the Bang Baby from making clones of himself, but it was a great distraction.

Backpack crawled down the wall and cut Richie free.

Virgil started towards him. "Gear, are you-"

"Look out!" Richie cried as Replikon made himself so big that RB had to let him go or be blasted into a hundred pieces. Replikon, morphing into a wooden statue, went for Virgil.

Richie dipped into his belt, yanked the Zap Cap free, and threw it. Virgil was close to Replikon; he might get the gas, too. But that couldn't be helped. As the Cap flew, Richie looked for Shiv. He wasn't the type to bolt, so where was he? And why hadn't Replay made more copies of himself?

The Cap broke over Replikon's head and the man dropped. Virgil stared for a moment, then looked up at Replay, maybe wondering what Richie had been wondering.

Replay was staring down at him, absolutely furious. "I'm going to make so many of me-"

But why hadn't he done so already? Richie freed another Zap Cap, this one containing metal coils. "Something's up," he said. "Where are Kangor, Boom and Shiv?"

Virgil scanned the room. "I took care of Kangor and Boom. Shiv was right here. Where'd he-?"

Shiv popped up from behind a box and yanked Richie close with a hook made of his unique power. "You like me?" he asked. "We can be together. I can make you forget whoever doesn't love you." He tried to pull at Richie's helmet, probably so he could kiss him.

Virgil blasted him.

Richie staggered, the edge of the energy field shaking him, and RB caught him.

Still trapped on the ceiling, Replay screamed, "There should be a hundred of me! What-"

"The static electricity that's holding you up there is interfering with your ability to make copies," Richie said as Backpack fed him the information. He laughed. "Sort of like a short messing with a Xerox machine."

Static touched his shoulder and Richie turned towards him, grinning. But his smile fell away at once. Virgil wasn't laughing.

* * *

December 26, 12:45 a.m.

They'd retired to the gas station after Virgil called his pops and told him Richie was safe.

Virgil's hands shook all the way there. Shook while he removed his costume and put on spare clothes. Shook as he watched Richie check Backpack over for damage. He couldn't sit still; he paced in tiny circles, keeping Richie in sight at all times. Tonight's insanity could have been right out of one of his nightmares. He could hear Richie's scream as it echoed around his mind like someone shrieking inside a giant cathedral. He knew he couldn't tell Richie never to go on patrol again, but he wanted to. More: he wanted to move Richie out of his parents' house, into his, maybe even into his room, and just keep Richie close at all times. He wanted to keep Richie in his arms.

That was when his body stirred for the first time. Sure, he'd gotten boners before, but nothing like this. His blood raced below his waist and he was lightheaded once more, so much so that he had to stop pacing and sit down.

He'd never dreamed about Richie naked, but he'd never dreamed about anyone naked. Most of his dreams up until he became Static were about comic book characters. Then, when he became Static, he'd dreamed about flying, about fighting, and, when Richie's powers surfaced, about flying with Gear.

He dreamt a lot about flying with Gear. And carrying Gear.

Oh. Shit. "Rich?"

Richie turned away from Backpack like he'd only been waiting for Virgil to speak. He looked uneasy. "Yeah?"

"I, uh…" Why couldn't he say it now? It was glaringly obvious. He looked down at his still-shaking hands. "Are you okay? I mean, I know Backpack helped you clean all your cuts and stuff, but are you okay?"

"Fine." Richie stood. "I should probably go home."

"Wait, Rich!" He leapt to his feet, swayed when his head rang with blood loss, and tried to make it look like he'd meant to do that. "Rich, I… Don't go, okay?"

Richie met his gaze. "I confessed I want you more than anyone else. You don't have to pretend that it didn't bother you."

Oh, yeah. He'd heard Richie talking about someone who didn't love him. Richie had been talking about him? "I didn't know you meant me." He managed to take a step towards Richie without losing his balance. He was so hard it was difficult to move naturally.

Richie took a giant step back. "Virgil, I can't take this right now. I'm fine, but getting hit on by Shiv was pretty scary and since I really want you to hold me and tell me everything's okay, it's not a good idea for you to get too close, or for me to even stay here." He backed away a little more. "Merry Christmas. I'll see you in a couple days."

Virgil took another tiny step. "It's actually the twenty-sixth, Rich." He took another step.

Richie shook his head and snorted. "Yeah, well, happy Boxing Day."

Virgil came even closer. "I talked to Pops. He was asking me all these questions like what you and I talked about, how much we hang out, how much I think about you when you're not there. I'd been so focused on the fact that I'd never had a sexual dream about you that I didn't even think about all that stuff. About the fact that I'm not truly happy unless you're with me." If he could just reach Richie, he could make this work. So he made sure Richie was looking right into his eyes, and he continued to talk. "See, it's not just you I've never had a wet dream about. I've never had a wet dream about anyone. No guys, no girls, not anyone. And a lot of the time, I do dream about you. I dream about us flying." He was maybe two steps from touching distance. "Richie, I dream about being near you. And, yeah, maybe I've never thought about kissing you, but you know how dense I can be sometimes. Remember how long it took me to figure out that I could bring my Static confidence into the rest of my life?"

Contact.

It was only his hand on Richie's shoulder, but Richie didn't pull back and then Virgil had his arms around him. He pressed his erection against Richie's thigh and Richie gasped, his eyes widening.

"See?" Virgil hadn't meant to breathe the word, but damn if he wasn't dizzy again. "I want you, Rich. I want just you." He hesitated, unsure if he should wait for permission before he kissed his Richie.

The choice was taken out of his hands- so to speak- when Richie thrust hard against him, tugged him so they were chest to chest, and plunged his tongue into his mouth.


End file.
